By KIMBERLIE QUITASOL
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY— To restore the people’s confidence in the media and reclaim the space for truthful, credible, and responsible dissemination of information, several media groups and civil society organizations (CSO) formed the Kordilyera Media-Citizen Council (KMCC).

Speaking during the KMCC launch on December 9, Red Batario of the Center for Community Journalism Development (CCJD) said that the media’s purpose has always been “to report the truth and speak truth to power.”

“This heroic approach illustrates journalism’s broader moral and social obligation in pursuit of that most elusive goal called TRUTH,” he said.

Batario shared that for the past months, Baguio journalists took on the challenge “to reclaim and reimagine journalism” and “to rediscover their values in fulfilling their truth-telling mission.” He added that the media would not be alone in the battle against disinformation and misinformation this time because they have partnered with CSOs through the KMCC.

“I think we are also looking at the emergence of journalists who are not content to be mere passive observers but active participants in public life,” Batario further said.

Baguio City Councilor Arthur Allad-iw commended the media and CSOs for forging this partnership and taking on a “gargantuan task” in his welcome address. He said KMCC could be a “catalyst force” in addressing disinformation, especially in the upcoming elections.

Allad-iw said there is a growing manufactured disaster on the use of social media as the 2022 election nears. He said that politicians would use “fake news, opinions not substantiated by facts or data, and bullying seem to be inevitable” to advance their interests.

“Instead of elevating public discourse into a politics of issues, it reduces the electoral politics to politics of personalities. And this is the man-made disaster I fear the most,” Alad-iw stated.

“It reduces the people’s right to know to a pure and simple disinformation,” he stressed.

Informed choice

KMCC Co-Chairperson and Baguio Midland Courier associate editor Jane Cadalig shared that the council’s immediate activities are educating voters. She noted that a well-informed voting public would elect better officials. She said they would reach out to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the candidates, and the people to gather relevant and responsible information.

Cadalig shared that the group’s vision is: “empowered communities nurtured by truthful, relevant and responsible information dissemination through a harmonious yet critical partnership between media and civil society.” She explained that the KMCC aims to bridge communities to decision-makers through truthful and responsible reportage.

Cadalig added that KMCC is part of the media’s effort to self-regulation with the help of the public through the CSOs. She said it would serve as a forum for media issues and citizens to air their grievances on inaccurate reportage. She added that it would also amplify the voices of communities on pressing problems that beset them.

However, she reiterated that the council would only address inaccuracies in media reportage and the right to reply. She explained further that the council could call out media organizations and initiate discussions on erroneous reports without imposing editorial policies.

Cadalig also said that the KMCC’s first activity in the pipeline is a “getting to know” gathering of media, CSO’s and government information officers to introduce KMCC and hopefully get more groups on board.

“We want to be as inclusive as possible; everybody who would adhere to the KMCC vision and would want to work towards the realization of this vision is welcome to join,” Cadalig said.

The KMCC was formed through the efforts of the Peace and Conflict Journalism Network under the Initiative for Media Freedom funded under the U.S. Agency for International Development and Implemented by Internews in the Philippines.

Common values

Cristy Aban from the Iyaman Foundation, who represented the CSOs during the launching, said that she realized during the workshops for the KMCC formation that the media actually want the same things, and they are also humans.

“But the thing is we just read what you write, we hear your voices, and sometimes we forget that you are humans, we put you in some kind of a pedestal that we cannot reach you, that’s how we feel in the communities actually,” she shared.

Aban further said that during the workshops, she discovered that the media share the same values and vision with the CSOs.

“It’s just that we are not putting our efforts together. So I said that KMCC is like a bridge so that our voices will be heard, our stories can be written, and we can share the best practices on how we build a better community, a better Baguio, a better Cordillera,” Aban said. # nordis.net